1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a water control valve core, and more particularly to an innovative core with a segmented locking function.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
The water control valve core is a major element of a hydrant. As for a bithermal hydrant, the water control valve core is generally provided with a swinging valve rod linked with the toggle switch of the hydrant, so that the opening and closing of hydrant could be controlled by coupling the valve rod with the toggle switch. However, when the toggle switch of the hydrant is opened by the operator, maximum water yield may occur quickly due to the extremely short stroke of the toggle switch. Even if the toggle switch is adjusted manually to get a smaller water yield, it is difficult to stably fix the toggle switch, so water yield will be likely changed, leading to waste of water resources in the event of bigger water yield of the hydrant.
To this end, a water control valve core with segmented locking function is developed, so that the swinging position of the valve rod could be interlocked for segmentation of the water yield. A flange is prefabricated by the valve rod and corresponding valve core for locking purposes.
The following shortcomings are observed during the actual applications:
1. Said flange must be sufficiently sized to yield the desired locking effect. With the repeated swinging of the valve rod, wear and tear of the flange may occur due to forcible friction during the process of locking. The locking effect will thus be affected or even lost in the case of thinning of the flange. Since the flange is prefabricated by the valve rod and valve core, it is impossible for replacement with single components.
2. The locking strength of the valve rod may vary depending on the different types of toggle switches, specifications of valve cores and customized requirements. The prefabrication of the aforementioned flange cannot be adapted flexibly, leading to higher manufacturing costs and lower economic efficiency.
Thus, to overcome the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it would be an advancement in the art to provide an improved structure that can significantly improve efficacy.
Therefore, the inventor has provided the present invention of practicability after deliberate design and evaluation based on years of experience in the production, development and design of related products.